Dr StrangeJob is no loser, but he does concede he will not win the CBRM mayoralty race. Yes, he is statistically the most favored candidate, not to mention the only mayoralty candidate actually liked by goCapebreton.com. No, he is not paranoid about his loss, but he is convinced there is a conspiracy against him. Simply put, Dr StrangeJob will not be the next CBRM mayor because he is not a member of the old boys’ club. If you are not in the club, then you are simply out of luck.

Although the old boys’ club is built on a foundation of partisan politics, CBRM club membership is more about loyalty to the club than allegiance to political ideology. How else to explain a former Liberal MLA and a former NDP MLA supporting a Progressive Conservative candidate in the current CBRM mayoralty race? Sure, provincial parties are involved in municipal politics, but in CBRM other factors appear to be at play. Do municipal politicians align themselves with high-profile political supporters to garner votes or do those supporters align themselves with local politicians because of rifts in political affiliations? Your guess is as good as mine, but in CBRM, the “old” and “boy” in old boys’ club apparently takes precedence over youth and skill.

Some younger candidates are running for municipal office in CBRM, and I wish them all the best. Unfortunately, I fear the odds are against them. Unless we limit council membership to two or three elected terms, younger candidates may be forced to wait for the senior senior-councilors to literally die off. Some of these old timers will not move out of office on their own, even when some of them can barely move on their own.

“I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” – President Ronald Reagan

While a seasoned councilor can bring value to the table, don’t confuse a senior senior citizen lacking wisdom with an elder statesperson. Don’t assume a veteran candidate is an elder statesperson because they are chronologically old, nor assume a younger candidate has valuable leadership qualities because they aren’t.

The real problem with the old boys’ club is that they are quite efficient at winning elections. They know the rules, and better still, they know how to play the rules. If the good old boys don’t like the rules, then they ignore the rules, tell you to shut up, or just refuse to show up to the debate. That makes CBRM taxpayers the real losers.

Until next time—that’s my two cents’ worth.

Dr. StrangeJob is a local satirical blogger, retired educator, social activist, and developer of the world’s first 12+1 step self-help group, Incompetents Anonymous.